Hi Amanda thanks. I see you write kind of horror.....I couldn't hear the trailer you have on your page as my computer won't do it for some reason.... I've never read horror as I'd have nightmares. I have read true crime and some of those are horror enough.... My sister and I have written a couple of romance books but haven't gotten them published as of yet. She'd sent them to Harlequin but I can see where they wouldn't fit in as they are mainstream and written from the viewpoint of two or three characters.. All of mine so far are non fiction but I enjoy writing fiction as well...maybe one day we'll get one of them published.

Shirley, thanks so much for the add. Your profile is just amazing and touching and I couldn't stop reading. I look forward to getting to know you better.

thanks Jannie, I'm sure I will get it out there. And if I can find any publishers in other countries that will make it better. I can only speak english though, so not sure if the publishing houses speak other languages other than their own...

Thank you Shirley for being a new friend and I commend you for your courage and wish you the best in your efforts to get your tradegy to the public forum.

Good to know you all in cyberspace. I'm wondering if anyone knows how I could get this book published in other countries. I noticed that we have a lot of members here who are from countries other than the US. I self published A Mothers Torment, www.amotherstorment.com this time around. It was published back in 93 by New Horizon Press and was called, They're Going To Kill My Son. A movie company took an option to make it into a movie because of the things I did to try and save Jeff. But they finally backed out since there wasn't an ending to the story.

After that I read the book that had been published and noticed that the publishing company had changed names, and taken out things that had happened. Since I wanted the whole story told, with real names and everything that had happened, detectives lying on the stand and more, that I decided to publish it myself. The publishing company still had the old one out as they woudl not give me back my rights and they've said in the past ten years they've not sold one book. They feel a movie will be made sooner or later and are hanging on to it.

At any rate, there is an ending now. I've brought it up to date the past twenty years and used real names and all this time around. I don't care if they sue me. I don't have anything left they can take from me. They system took my most prized possessions, my two sons.

I'd like to get it published in other countries while I try to run down movie producers to see about getting it make into a movie now. Thanks for any help. My email is sdicks@blomand.net

Hello Shirley. I know you from another webgroup. It's really good to see you here, you are a courageous woman, and I hope that things are going easier for you now.
Caroline / jarramali

Thanks for adding me. You have shown extraordinary courage and resilience through terrible tragedies. Best wishes to you.

Hi Shirley. Thanks for the invitation. I commend you for having the strength to tell the story of your family's ordeal. I also commend you for not giving up.

Hello Shirley,
Thanks for the invitation.

What a heart-wrenching experience you've had. You know, I grew up in an environment of unquestioning support for the death penalty, and imbibed it along with the rest. In recent years, though, a number of factors have coalesced to disturb me about capital punishment, at least as we practice it in this country. While I have not, as yet, moved all the way to a complete abolitionist stance, stories such as you've told here - especially the Texas case you mentioned; innocent human life should not be sacrificed to attorney/client privilege - have caused me to believe that, if we practice it at all, the death penalty should be reserved for only the most heinous crimes, and then no stone should be left unturned to make as sure as it is possible to be that it is warranted.

At any rate, I'll be looking for your books. Thanks again for the invite.

thanks. I do write the books that I do because of what happened in my life....and my work with prisoners and with the teens on anti violence is because of that. If by telling my story at the schools will stop other kids from going down the wrong path in life, then it's worth spending my time doing. My youngest son trevor used to speak with me until he was killed last year. He was a great speaker, and reached the kids because they related to him, to what he'd gone though himself....and now he's in heaven with his big brother.

Shirley, you certainly are a madel for how to survive tragedy. Best of luck!

Thanks for the add, Shirley. You appear to be someone who is truly passionate about a range of things, obviously fuelled by the dramatic events in your own life. I applaud you for voicing your opinion loudly and trying to set it straight.

great to meet you both. I wasn't going to join as I don't normally write crime stories, but someone asked me to twice so I thought I would. I love to read true crime and mysteries when they aren't too violent and would love to write a crime one other than my life story. My sister and I have written a few romances but they aren't published yet.....we may publish them one day. The cost of publishing them is so high that I don't think you could make much and the price would have to be high...with the cost of printing.....but you never know....I have access to many true crime stories from my work with death row inmates so it probably wouldn't be too hard .....just finding the time...